Apple buys Intel's modem division for $ 1 billion

Intel 5G

It had been rumored for months, and in recent weeks the news had intensified, but it has not been until a few moments ago that Apple has confirmed one of its biggest acquisitions to date. Cupertino's company takes over Intel's modem division for $ 1 billion.

The purchase includes all patents (about 17,000) and engineers from the Intel division (about 2,200) that will become part of Apple's staff to work in the new company towards the future modems that the iPhone will incorporate in a few years. What does this acquisition entail? We will explain it below.

Almost everyone is familiar with Apple's confrontation with Qualcomm, a manufacturer that virtually monopolizes modems for smartphones. This confrontation caused this year's iPhone to carry Intel modems, lower in performance than Qualcomm's according to experts. This fight between these two technology titans ended with an agreement between the two companies that will allow iPhone to carry Qualcomm 5G modems soon, but Apple took note and will not allow this to happen again.

The company has been studying how to manufacture its own modems for some time. This would involve seamlessly integrating your hardware and software, developing new features that could make a difference with the competition., and above all, do not depend on any manufacturer and its patents. But this is not a simple task, and it required a lot of time, so Apple has decided to take a shortcut.

Buying Intel (its division of modems for smartphones) means that you suddenly acquire patents and qualified personnel that can help to significantly accelerate the design process of your new modems that would not arrive for several years, some believe that not before five. Meanwhile you can use Qualcomm modems. Once they get it, they will have control over the main components of a smartphone: processor, graphics, modem and wireless chips, and are working to design their own batteries and displays.

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